Dover Downs and speedway pay tribute to 9/11 anniversary with Sept. 11 concert, stair climb
As the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 approaches this weekend, Dover International Speedway and Dover Downs Hotel & Casino are remembering those who tragically lost their lives that day with a series of remembrance events, all of which also tie into a significant anniversary for the Monster Mile.
On Sept. 23, 2001, Dover International Speedway played host to the first NASCAR event after the terrorist attacks with the running of the MBNA Cal Ripken Jr. 400 NASCAR Spring Cup Series race. Emotions were running high that day at the Monster Mile, as the country was only 12 days removed from the devastating attacks, but the crowd of nearly 140,000 people did not show their concern as they waved American flags, clapped hands, stomped feet and repeated chants of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” in proud support of their country and in tribute to the thousands of Americans who lost their lives.
That patriotism will again be on display at the Monster Mile leading up to the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that followed with a variety of remembrance events.
The 9/11 Memorial Blood drive, a joint effort of Dover International Speedway, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino and the Blood Bank of Delmarva, is set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 8, in the Rollins Center Ballroom at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. All those who donate blood will receive the opportunity to take a pace car ride around the Monster Mile with track historian George Keller, who has not missed a NASCAR race weekend in Dover since the track opened in 1969. Appointments are recommended by calling 888-8-BLOOD-8 or visiting www.delmarvablood.org.
At 1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 11, the 10-year anniversary of the attacks, the Dover Symphony Orchestra will perform a special patriotic tribute concert in the Rollins Center in remembrance of the victims and first responders, including fire and police personnel and military. The concert is free.
Also that day, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and Delaware Volunteer Firefighter’s Association, along with Dover International Speedway, will host the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb at noon, an event occurring in each of the 50 states. All emergency services personnel are invited to the Monster Mile to pay tribute to the 343 FDNY members who selflessly gave their lives Sept. 11, 2001, by climbing 110 flights of stairs, the exact amount of stories in the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers. Those interested in registering to participate should visit www.dvfassn.com, and any member of the public who would like to attend as a spectator is welcome to do so by entering the complex at Victory Plaza, presented by AAA, via Leipsic Road.
The motorsports world had already had a tragic year of its own in 2001, losing NASCAR legend and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt in the February 2001 Daytona 500, as well NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racing legend Dave Schultz; Formula One track marshal Graham Beveridge; and Italian F1 driver Michele Alboreto. All of the heartbreaking events overshadowed what was otherwise a very exciting season in all facets of the motorsports world.
All of that sadness was put aside when NASCAR came to Dover following the terrorist attacks, however, as the assembled crowd used the gathering as a chance to show pride in their country. The drivers also joined in, with many abandoning their standard paint schemes on their cars to feature a patriotic-themed design, the most dramatic of which was Kenny Schrader’s No. 36 M&M’s Pontiac, which removed every sponsor decal and was completely painted as an American flag.
Normalcy returned when the cars took to the track, and after a thrilling 400 laps of action true to the reputation of the Monster Mile, it was only fitting that Dale Earnhardt Jr., following the loss of his father earlier in the year in the Daytona 500, took the checkered flag for the win in one of the most emotionally charged and memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in history.
“What the fans presented to us this morning before the race was some sort of an inspiration for all of us,” Earnhardt Jr. said following the race.
After he won, one of the crew members for his No. 8 Budweiser Chevrolet hopped the pit road wall with a giant American flag, making a beeline toward Earnhardt Jr.’s car. He handed the flag off, and in an act of pure pride for his country and patriotic solidarity with the raucous Dover crowd, the driver took the stars and stripes for a victory lap around the Monster Mile.
To this day, that race serves as not just one of the most memorable events in the history of the Monster Mile, but in the history of all of NASCAR.
